LA Angels: Trevor Bauer names 4 deciding factors in free agency update

Joe Maddon is the perfect manager to bring out the best in a personality like Trevor Bauer.

At the beginning of the video, Bauer highlights this isn’t a demands list. The things he is asking for are part of a mutual partnership between him and the organization.

Bauer is known as an outspoken player in the league. There are lots of baseball traditionalists who look down on these types of athletes from the seat of their moral high-horse. I’ve got a newsflash for anyone who thinks this way, it’s 2021. If an athlete wants to speak their mind about things of importance then so be it.

Long gone are the days of an organization expecting their players to keep quiet and only focusing on their pitching, hitting, etc. If the player isn’t saying anything that harms or disrespects the team then there shouldn’t be an issue in allowing them to speak freely.

Bauer has spoken publicly on mental health in the past, and explained in his YouTube video one of the factors in his decision will be the team that makes him feel ‘happy’.

“I’ve spent a lot of time being unhappy as a person and a baseball player,” Bauer said. “One of the things I’ve been encouraged by the last couple of years has been enjoying baseball a lot more than I have in my professional career. I don’t want to go back to being miserable playing the game I love.”

Among the factors that will play a role in that statement is a team that will allow Bauer to do the things he wants to training-wise. The right-hander explained when he first came into professional baseball, he wanted to throw weighted balls in his workouts. No one else was doing this at the time, and members of the Diamondbacks organization did not allow this, saying he would injure himself. These days, nearly every team in the league has their pitchers performing the workouts Bauer mentioned from years ago.

In the past, some have criticized Bauer for being un-coachable. In reality, there probably was not much hearing out in the things Bauer wanted to do like his advanced training methods or trying to pitch on four days rest. Angels manager Joe Maddon would be the perfect coach and mentor for a player like Bauer.

I’m from Chicago and watched a lot of Cubs baseball in my lifetime. I didn’t always agree with his decisions, but believe me when I say Maddon is one of the best “players’ coaches” in all of sports. Maddon has a knack for rallying his troops and letting them express themselves on and off the field while keeping his team competitive.

Maddon might be 66-years old, but he certainly lives and thinks in the modern-era of current athletes. There is no doubt in my mind Maddon would bring out the best, while letting Bauer express himself freely.

Bauer’s social activity off the field can change baseball for a younger generation of fans and players.

As previously mentioned, Bauer has his own YouTube channel and is one of the more active MLB players on social media. This is something the right-hander wants to continue doing throughout his playing career for fans and teammates.

“I like having the ability to connect with fans on a personal level,” Bauer said. “I also like doing that for my teammates and finding ways to get them in front of a larger audience, giving them more opportunities for things they want to do.”

This is something fairly new to the game of baseball, and I think it would be great if more athletes did this. If it’s not a distraction to the team or player, then it shouldn’t be an issue and should actually be embraced around the league.

There is a reason baseball is dying in its ratings, and young fans have become disinterested. Heck, there are even adults who cannot sit through a nine-inning game.

Bauer explained part of his goals in creating these types of connections through social media is with the hopes to inspire a younger generation to have an increased interest in baseball. Just this weekend the NFL televised a playoff game on Nickelodeon with the hopes of getting younger fans involved. Bauer’s connections through his media platforms could accomplish the same goal by showing fans what the life of a baseball player is like behind the scenes.

This type of expression can also help his fellow athletes not just by showing their personalities, but by getting involved with things like charities and social movements.

The Angels are in one of the biggest sports markets in the country, but outside of the LA-Anaheim area, you don’t hear much about the team nationally. The lack of attention comes even while having two of the greatest players this game has ever seen, Mike Trout and Albert Pujols.

Bringing in someone like Bauer would benefit both parties. Bauer gets to increase his business ventures, and the Angels would get more national attention, which brings in more revenue to the organization.

Bauer wants to win, and he could be the missing piece which turns the Angels into a World Series contender.

The Angels finished an underwhelming season last summer with a record of 26-34 to miss the playoffs for the sixth straight season. If the team wants to sign Bauer, they need to convince him they are serious about being a World Series contender.

Bauer was a key member of Cleveland’s starting rotation in 2016, who made it to the World Series and eventually blew a 3-1 lead to the Cubs.

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“There’s so many moments I look back on from that season and how special it was to take a group of people, get them organized around a specific goal, and make it to that goal,” Bauer said. “Obviously we didn’t end up winning, so it’s something I want to do. I want that experience again, and to be on a team that’s dedicated not just on making the postseason, but winning the whole thing.”

Bauer went on to explain he feels his career is too short to be part of any rebuilding. You have to admire that mindset from any athlete. Especially in baseball, there aren’t many players who are willing to go somewhere based on whether or not it gives them a chance to win over a high-salary.

The Angels have arguably the league’s best overall player in Trout, and one of, if not the best third baseman in Anthony Rendon. There is roughly 88 percent of current free agents who remain unsigned. If the team can add a few more position players to this group, ideally a proven big league catcher, and two starting pitchers, they can quickly become a contender in the AL West.

Perhaps they are waiting to make smaller moves based on whether or not they can land a star player like Bauer. Regardless, Minasian and the organization need to convince free agents they are building a serious contender, and Bauer could be the missing piece.

Despite current salaries, the Angels have the financial flexibility to sign Bauer to a longterm deal.

The biggest question in a team bringing in Bauer isn’t his vlogging or personality. It’s going to be about salary, and how much a team is willing to spend during this offseason of uncertainty.

The COVID-19 pandemic has metaphorically infected the MLB market, causing a record number of tendered contracts and pushing a traditionally slow offseason at a snail’s pace. This has caused teams around the league (except for maybe the Padres and Mets) to make their trades and signings with extreme caution.

A few weeks ago, MLB Insider Jon Heyman reported Bauer is looking for a contract in the range of 5-6 years for $200 million, to which Bauer and his agent chimed in.

He hasn’t had a perfect career up to this point, but I think Bauer deserves to be paid coming off his CY Young season and the upside the 29-year old carries. In his video, Bauer mentioned he views the money he’d earn through a different lens than most might think.

“It would be kind of disingenuous for me to sit here and talk about what’s important to me without mentioning money,” Bauer said. “It allows me to launch business ventures I’m building that can help grow the baseball industry.”

The Angels are currently projected to have the fourth-highest payroll heading into the 2021 season. If they were to sign Bauer to a contract of around $30-$40 million per year, they would just pass the Dodgers at No. 1 on the projected payroll list.

The good news is the payroll will drastically shrink in the next two seasons. Pujols’ $30 million for next season will be off the books and Justin Upton’s current deal (two-years $51 million) will expire after the 2022 season. Trout and Rendon are locked in for the long haul, but they aren’t getting any younger.

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The Angels will have to decide whether or not they believe spending the money on Bauer right now is worth it, or should they wait until they have more flexibility and go after free agents down the road. These are some big decisions ahead for new GM Perry Minasian.